Shifting Shadows
by suspensegirl
Summary: Post 3x15 - Jenny needs someone to confide in, and strangely enough she finds her safe haven in Chuck. Oneshot.


A/N: Apologies, but this is not another CB update. I just feel really driven to write a CJ oneshot with Jenny confiding completely in Chuck. I feel like she's always hiding part of herself from anybody and everybody now. It hurts almost as bad as Annie not confessing to her hit and run in 90210. So, yeah. Everyone else seems occupied, and I know this huge scandal just happened with Chuck, but he was the one who was initially okay with her getting involved with drugs, so I feel like it would fit. Please review!

*Do not even think for a split second this is supposed to be some sort of romantic beginning between Chuck and Jenny. It is purely a oneshot with a step-sibling type of bond going on. I'm still CB to the end. ;p

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She hadn't really been aware of the scandal involving Chuck Bass recently. She'd been too absorbed in dating a drug dealer that she really liked. She didn't care what other people thought about him. She liked him; he liked her; and things were getting serious. Or at least they were until he backed out simply because she wouldn't have sex with him. She shook her head at how stupid she'd been. Now she was paying for it with a bleeding, broken heart.

Things had gotten somewhat back to normal at home, though. Her father had retracted his deal with Headmistress Queller regarding a constant individual following Jenny anywhere she went. Rufus was confident in the fact that his daughter wouldn't go running off to Damien. It didn't really matter that she was grounded. There was nowhere she wanted to go, and no one she wanted to see. Deep down she knew she should confide in someone. _It would probably make her feel better_, she knew. Not a single person came to her mind though. Nate was judgmental, along with her brother who had been appalled from the very beginning. Eric had practically been nonexistent through all of this, and Serena now only knew half the truth. She didn't know why she hadn't confided in her the night before. She had just been too tired, hadn't wanted to talk, and didn't want to look weak. In that moment of realization, the inclination came to her that maybe this was how Chuck and Blair felt when faced with trials or a broken heart.

Her long blonde curls swaying around her shoulders, she looked up from her spot on the steps and surprisingly found Chuck and Blair exiting his limo across the street. Her head jerked back and her eyebrows furrowed. This had to be the most interesting lunch she'd had this year. _What were Chuck and Blair doing by Constance and St. Judes? _Very suddenly Chuck's eyes locked with hers and now she was even more suspicious. He looked away and guided Blair along the sidewalk. _It must have been coincidence_, she decided. But that didn't stop her from standing to her feet, forcing her minions to stay seated on the steps and crossing the street towards the rich duo.

"Jenny," Blair said in surprise. "Fancy meeting you here," she smirked, her eyes briefly darting over to the Met steps across the street. Jenny smirked quickly, acting the cool part.

"Yeah, fancy. Chuck, could I talk to you for a second?" she asked, trying her best to block out at least Blair's amused gaze. Chuck clearly adorned the same one, but she couldn't take on both of them at once.

"Sure," he said slowly, curious now. He gestured across the street, and Blair took the hint, pecking him on the cheek as she made her way over to the jewelry store Chuck knew he'd be buying her something from.

Jenny walked down the street a little, almost shaking. Had she been out of her mind?! Chuck was the last person she should confide in. He may have matured over the last year and probably be able to relate to her better than anyone in this regard, but it was still Chuck. His smirking, cocky demeanor was still very evident, regardless of their recent step-sibling status. If anything, she should have hoped he would have thought of her first; not the other way around.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, slipping his hands into his pockets. She could feel his eyes roving over her form, analyzing her demeanor. She knew his eyes were narrowing. "You look like you've just seen a ghost." She turned her head towards him and chuckled uneasily.

"No," she shook her head. "That's ridiculous, Chuck."

"That you look like it, or that you've actually seen one?" he cocked an eyebrow. A smile played on her lips but he'd seen the expression on Blair's face too many times to know she wasn't being genuine.

"You know," her voice sounded strangled. She turned to him, stopped her feet from moving and cursed herself for ever thinking of confiding in Chuck Bass. She didn't want to do this anymore. She'd been close to telling Serena about what really happened with Damien the night before. I mean, what other reason did she really have to explain why they broke up? Just because her father wanted him to? Maybe Nate and Dan too? No. She had made it clear on the outset that what they thought truly didn't matter in the final decision making. Plus, Chuck was probably under enough stress as it was. He didn't need to deal with the broken heart of a sixteen year old when he had real problems to deal with.

"…I don't think this was such a good idea." She shook her head and laughed. "Wow, I'm…sorry to drag you away from Blair." She turned around, feeling a nervous, embarrassed, humiliated heat consume her. She couldn't believe she'd let herself act out her thoughts so blatantly. The important thing of course, was that she had gotten out in time. Now even if she was still weighed down by what only she knew, nothing could get worse because everyone would still be left in the dark.

"Jenny," he called out to her, clearly now concerned. His arm outstretched now to keep her from leaving. She ignored it and kept walking, only turning around once.

"Sorry about everything going on with you too, all the scandal. I hope it all works out. You don't deserve that." She forced a quick, tight smile, and continued walking.

"Stop."

Like a dog having just learned the command, Jenny could not move another step. The cooling sweat that had begun to relieve the consuming heat just moments earlier evaporated. She could feel him directly behind her. His hands were no longer in his pockets and that worried her. That meant consoling might be possible and she feared that more than anything.

"If you have something to say, then say it. Don't beat around the bush, and don't pull me in just to push me aside when you get scared. I know all too well what fear can do to you, what it can prevent you from doing. I know we're not close, we're hardly anything, but…" he sighed, finally slipping a hand in his pocket. "If you've gone down that rabbit hole, I'm probably the only one who can get you out."

Her eyes widened and she turned around in a flash. Somehow he had known just what she'd come to talk to him about, without her even saying a word. At her expression though, she was surprised that he did not smirk or even make an indecent remark. He just waited, the slightest hint of concern evident in his eyes.

"You bumped into your dealer in the kitchen," he said simply, analyzing her expression and only having spoken when she had gone silent for too long. He did not reprimand her for doing what he had advised her not to; he just spoke the truth. Her eyes were downcast but finally she looked up at him.

"I never took the drugs, Chuck. I just…" she sighed, trailing off.

"Assisted him," he finished her sentence. She nodded numbly.

"And then…we…when I couldn't…he…" she sighed again, hanging her head. He nodded softly.

"I think I get it."

Surprisingly she felt him guide her across the street to where Blair was in one of the shops. The feel of his hand on her back was somehow comforting. She suddenly felt very relieved that she had told him what happened, however vaguely it may have been.

"Blair," he called to her. The brunette popped her head out of the store and then walked out to them, raising her eyebrows in question. "Why don't you take Jenny out to lunch, maybe do some window shopping?"

The brunette nodded once, smirking. Jenny was ecstatic, but one glance across the street and she knew she couldn't.

"No," she said. Chuck put his hand back on her back to prevent her from running away. "I just got on good terms again with my dad. If I ditch classes again, it will not end up anywhere good."

"Lunch just started, dearie," Blair smirked, pulling her away.

"But!" Jenny tried to escape, rummaging in her purse rapidly to prove to them she only had five minutes left to lunch. She halted abruptly however when she finally found the time on her cell phone proved exactly what Blair had said. There was twenty minutes still to go before lunch ended. Exactly following that she recalled the fact that her first period was a free one. She slipped her phone back in her purse and turned to look behind her at Chuck. He winked at her.

"I'll pick you two ladies up later, before class," he stressed, his eyes sparkling and smug smirk back in place.

Shocked, she finally allowed Blair to turn her away from the smirking once upon a time bad boy that had helped her by hardly saying a word. And now she was going out to lunch and window shopping with the Queen Bitch who had threatened to destroy her only two years earlier. It was surreal. She had never actually sat down and thought about how much their relationships had changed. But she knew she felt better. It would take awhile, but she would recover from her shattered heartbreak.

"You're not that far down," Blair told her. Jenny looked at her briefly. Confusion shown on her face, but she knew comprehension lay just below the surface. _The rabbit hole._ She smirked, her face lighting up. _Not that far down._ Blair pulled her closer, not even needing to see the girl's exultant face. _Understanding was a beautiful thing._

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A/N: Well, I hope you liked it! Please review! =D


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